The film, which is set to start production early in 2017, already stars Mark Rylance as Pope Pius IX. Rylance previously worked with Spielberg in the director’s latest movies, Bridge of Spies and The BFG.

The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara is based on the book of the same name by David Kertzer, with Tony Kushner adapting the novel for the big screen. Set in the 19th Century, the book provides a dramatic account of the seizure of a Jewish child against his parent’s will by Catholic Church authorities:

Bologna, 1858: A police squad, acting on the orders of the Inquisitor, invades the home of a Jewish merchant, Momolo Mortara, wrenches his crying six-year-old son from his arms, and rushes him off in a carriage bound for Rome. His mother is so distraught that she collapses and has to be taken to a neighbor’s house, but her weeping can be heard across the city.

With this terrifying scene — one that would haunt this family forever — David I. Kertzer begins his fascinating investigation of the dramatic kidnapping, and shows how this now obscure saga would eventually contribute to the collapse of the Church’s temporal power in Italy. As Edgardo’s parents desperately search for a way to get their son back, they learn why he–out of all their eight children–was taken.

About the author

Reggie Peralta

An aspiring writer, longtime film junkie, and former UCLARadio.com disc jockey (where I graduated with a BA in Political Science), I’ve made the jump from penning book reviews and current events editorials for HonorSociety.org to writing movie and TV news and reviews.

When I’m not working towards my certificate in Radio and Television/Video Production at Fullerton College, I enjoy reading (horror, science fiction, and historical/political nonfiction are particular favorites), participating in my school’s TV and theatre clubs, attending movie screenings, plays, concerts, and other events, and trying to come up with pithy things to say on social media. Believe it or not, there are occasions where I find time to write for my own leisure.